Bottle stopper



Feb. 13, 1934. M, LOW R 1,94 ,981

BOTTLE STOPPER Filed July 14, 1930 jzzyemiw" M5 ,Qify

Patented Feb. 13, 1934 BOTTLE Melvin s. Lower, Barberton, '51]: SunRubber Company,

STOPPER Ohio, assignor to a corporation of Application July 14, 1930.Serial No. 467,725

2 Claims.

The present invention has for its object to produce a simple and novelstopper that may be easily applied to and removed from a bottle, producea tight seal when on the bottle, and be I adapted to be used over andover again on the same or different bottles.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterizedwill hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims: but,for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects andadvantages, reference may be had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

t Figure 1 is an elevation of the stopper in the condition in which itreaches the consumer; Fig. 2 is a central axial section through thestopper, in the same condition as it appears in Fig. l, and the neck ofa bottle in which the plug por- M tion of the stopper has been inserted;Fig. 3 is a side view of the neck of the bottle having therein theimproved stopper adjusted into its final position of use; Fig. 4' is asection on line 4-4 of Fig. 3 and Fig. 5 is a top plan view 01'. thestopper as it appears in Figs. 1 and 2.

The stopper, which is made of soft rubber, comprises a plug portion 1and a cup-shaped or bell portion 2 above and integral with the plug. Theannular wall of the cup or bell is made comparatively thin at thebottom, as indicated at 3, and is gradually thickened to produce a wideoutwardly projecting rib or bead 4 around the top. The diameter of thebell or cup is somewhat greater than the diameter of the plug so as toproduce an annular shoulder 5 at the top of the plug which will preventthe stopper from being pushed too far into the neck of a bottle. Theexterior of the plug may be grooved circumferentially at short distancesapart throughout its length, in such a manner as to produce a se ries ofsawtooth ridges 6. Furthermore, there may be a deep central depressionor recess 7 extending up at the center of the plug from the bottom face.A plug made in this way can be easily inserted in the neck of a bottleand at the same time make a tighter joint than will a solid smooth plug.

In using the stopper, the plug is first inserted in the neck of thebottle as indicated in Fig. 2, and then the cup or bell is turned insideout so that the annular wall extends downwardly instead of upwardly. Thethin section of this annular wall permits this reversal to be easilyaccomplished. However, the free rim portion of the cup or bell isstiifer and will therefore grip the periphery of the bottle neck firmlyunderneath the external bead a usually found on the neck A of a bottle.as shownin Fig. 4. Furthermore, the comparatively thin web section 3will stretch, it the parts are properly proportioned, so as to be drawntightly over the rib a.

It will therefore be seen that when the parts of the stopper haveassumed their final positions upon the bottle there will be a-tripleseal, the first being between the plug and the surrounding bottle neck,the second being between the thin web portion of the cup or bell that isdrawn taut over the head on the bottle, and the third being between theexpanded ring-like bead 4 that hugs the bottle neck tightly along theunder side of the bead on the bottle and the surfaces on the bottleimmediately below the bead.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a singlepreferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to theexact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend tocover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of myinvention constituting the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A bottle stopper consisting of a single piece of rubber having theform of a plug and a bellshaped cup larger in diameter at the bottomthan the top of the plug rising from the top of the plug in an uprightposition, the annular wall of the cup being in the form of a thin webadjacent to the bottom of the cup and increasing gradually in thicknessin the outward direction toward the top to form at the top a heavy beadwhose under slope forms the outer face of said annular wall, said plughaving peripheral grooves extending around the same and a deep cavityextending upwardly therein through the bottom face past the planes ofthe several grooves.

2. A bottle stopper consisting of a soft'rubber plug adapted to enterthe neck of a bottle and a cap attached to the plug and adapted toembrace the said neck, said plug having thereon several external annularridges distributed lengthwise of the same, each of the ridges with thatportion of the plug surounded thereby being in the form of a frustum ofa cone whose large end is at the bottom, whereby each ridge has anannular under face extending approximately at right angles to the longaxis of the plug and an upwardly and inwardly facing conical surface,and there being a deep cavity extending up along the center of the plugfrom the bottom past the planes of several of said ridges.

MELVIN S. LOWER. 110

